After missing two or three games due to complications from the coronavirus, the Bryant Blue Hornets eighth grade team got back in action on Monday and Tuesday, absorbing a tough 48-42 loss to North Little Rock Blue on the road and a 25-19 setback to Cabot North at Bethel Middle School.
Jonathan Frost scored 23 points at North Little Rock. The Hornets trailed 11-10 after a quarter and 26-18 at the half. It was 36-26 going into the fourth quarter. Bryant Blue rallied but it came up short.
“We had to play one of the toughest teams on our schedule next to Bryant White, down two starters and the rest of the team just coming off a quarantine,” noted Hornets coach Steve Wilson. “I thought our kids showed a lot of grit and courage.
“We were down 9-0 to start the game, but came back to take a 10-9 lead near the end of the first quarter,” he related. “We were 16 of 23 from the free-throw line. Frost was 12 of 15.”
Kellen Farmer and Ryan Green each had 6 points. Mason Mudrew added 5.
On Tuesday, Frost was held to 4 points by Cabot North. Ryan Reynolds led with 5. Farmer and Green added 3 each and Brady Roberts had 2.
Blue led 3-2 after a quarter and 11-9 at the half. But the Panthers went on a 6-2 run in the third quarter to take the lead, 15-13, going into the fourth quarter.
“I thought our kids fought hard,” said Wilson. “We played our second game in a row after coming off the quarantine. We were still a little short-handed.
“We had trouble moving the ball and scoring,” he mentioned. “We only shot six free throws after shooting 23 the night before.”
The Blue Hornets are scheduled to play at Conway White on Thursday to conclude their season.
